Here’s a thought…
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it.”
MARK TWAIN
Artists: Get us your entries for Art Unlocked-Pandemic Productions
||| FROM BETHANIE MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| CALLING ALL LOCAL ARTISTS! The Visual Arts committee of Orcas Center is pleased to announce the first Art Opening of 2022: ART UNLOCKED – PANDEMIC PRODUCTIONS, to be held from March 4 to April 12. We hope to cover all of the
Guest Opinion | In their own words: Dysfunction at OIFR as described by Commission
||| FROM AMANDA MONTAGUE ||| "Operations of the department have not been interrupted, and the Chief communicates well with the BOFC, but Chief's effectiveness this year has decreased compared to the year before. I'd hoped for improvement in terms of leadership and policy implementation, but I see no progress in
Orcas Island Film Festival’s classic series is a go
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL ||| As we hoped, the number of Omicron cases across the country has continued to drop significantly and we see that many of you have already signed up for a free ticket to our Classics Series. Please join us on Sunday, February 27 at 4
Trades program for kids being offered by EDC and 4-H
||| FROM MICHELANGELO (MIKEY) VON DASSOW for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| San Juan County kids are invited to learn about the skilled trades through free, fun projects organized by the Economic Development Council (EDC) and WSU Extension’s San Juan County 4-H Program. Up first, the EDC is offering 25 motor
A man’s quest to stop the decline of orcas
||| FROM CBS MORNINGS ||| Orcas are one of the most familiar forms of sea life, but in the wild, they are increasingly rare. For over four decades, a team of researchers has been studying three pods of orcas in the Pacific Northwest. The data collected has given an inside
Poetry | A Black History Month tribute
||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER ||| Those Winter Sundays Robert Hayden - 1913-1980 Robert Hayden's poetry, which explored his concerns about race and African-American history, gained international recognition in the 1960s, and Hayden eventually became the first Black American to be appointed as consultant in poetry to
Community Foundation is investing in affordable rentals
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation Board has voted to grant OPAL Community Land Trust $100,000, as needed, to support the purchase of the Northern Heights Apartments located across from the Library on Rose Street in Eastsound. This purchase will ensure that the
E-news from Governor Inslee’s office
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| COVID-19 trends give leaders confidence for next phase of pandemic response Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that most indoor masking requirements will lift March 21 thanks to dropping hospitalization rates, improving vaccination rates, and broad access to masks and tests. “The virus
Sun Days on Orcas | When a girl says …
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Teenage (and college) guys, when a girl says she just wants to be friends, take her up on it. If she’s anything like I was, she’s not yet comfortable articulating the details behind that statement. Perhaps some girls say it to
Fire Commissioners holding regular public meeting on Tuesday
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS FIRE COMMISSION ||| The Board of Fire Commissioners will be holding a regular public meeting on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. online via Zoom. (Note: the meeting is being held one day late this month due to the holiday.) Meeting access information
Library is hosting a digital book club
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Orcas Library announces, #TogetherWeRead, a digital book club connecting readers to the same ebook & audiobook at the same time with no waitlists or holds, Feb. 7-21! The featured title is The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade. Borrow the featured title
Adopted 2022-2023 County budget now online for viewing
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s adopted 2022-2023 budget is now online for viewing. The Preliminary Budget Book has been updated to include the adopted budget, with budget tables and detail pages updated with data through the end of 2021. The budget is accessible to
Meet Dave Zoeller, our new OI Health Care District Commissioner
||| FROM DAVE ZOELLER for ORCAS HEALTH DISTRICT ||| OIHCD's new Commissioner, Dave Zoeller As surprising as it is even to me, I have lived on Orcas Island for nearly 50 years. Still, I’m not a native Washingtonian. I grew up in the Hoosier heartland and graduated from
Need a Washington State boating education card?
Sign up for on-line U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boating safety classes ||| FROM CHUCK DALLDORF for US COAST GUARD AUXILIARY ||| Bellingham, Wash. – The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Bellingham and San Juan Islands Flotilla is offering four opportunities this year for boaters to take an on-line Washington State Basic
Department of Health launches science contest for high school students
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) Washington Tracking Network (WTN) is launching the inaugural Washington Tracking Network Youth Science Contest. The WTN Youth Science Contest provides an opportunity for high school students across Washington to develop their science and communication skills while
Sheriff’s Report | February 9 – 15, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 22-000897 Citizen Dispute 11:06:47 02/09/22 A Deputy on San Juan Island was dispatched to a citizen dispute. A report was completed. 22-000898 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 11:27:21 02/09/22 A Lopez Island Deputy investigated a suspicious vehicle- a large U Haul truck
